


Can I Be Close to You?

by turdysevenirishmen



Category: One Direction (Band)
Genre: Alcohol, Awkward Crush, Beginnings, Canon Compliant, Could Be Canon, Crushes, Drunken Confessions, First Kiss, Secret Crush
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-08-18
Updated: 2020-08-18
Packaged: 2021-03-06 08:48:43
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 827
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25966897
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/turdysevenirishmen/pseuds/turdysevenirishmen
Summary: The easiest way to sum this up is boys being boys, I suppose. NOT! Here, have my heart in one shot form. Enjoy!Narry, old crushes, and new beginnings.or...Harry's got friggin' eyes and Niall’s the best human, his favorite human, and really, now that he’s really thinking about it, Niall’s kind of perfect. And kissable. Don’t forget, perfectly kissable.
Relationships: Niall Horan/Harry Styles
Comments: 12
Kudos: 45





	Can I Be Close to You?

**Author's Note:**

> Even though I have a billion WIPs and ideas, this fic came in and took total precedence for whatever reason. Grrr...Well, actually, it did spring from my head fully-formed like Athena or something, but that's neither here nor there. I also just really wanted to post something, a little one-off deal.

“I had a crush on you...”

***

Niall and Harry were lying side by side on the floor of Niall’s hotel room. Skirting the line of tipsy, they spent the night talking about anything and everything that came to mind with ease only shared between people who’ve seen each other at their absolute best, worst, and everything in between. Harry had been going through all of his oddest crushes when Niall said those words.

“I had a crush on you, but it was ages ago, back when everything was just starting.” Harry’s stomach went in knots as he struggled to process and ascribe meaning to what Niall had just said. Peeking sideways, he saw that Niall was flushed, either from his admission or the alcohol, perhaps a bit of both, and laughing lightly at himself. When his laughter died away, all that was left was a weird sort of silence, the kind that follows a bombshell, which in Harry’s opinion, was precisely what Niall had just dropped. It was deafening in Harry’s ears, and he wanted nothing more than to fill it, but he had no idea what to say to something like that. 

“Does that like freak you out, or--”

“No! I just wasn’t expecting that. At all. _Why_?” Harry was struggling to find a time where it seemed like Niall ever acted any different but was coming up blank. He wished his mind was a smidge clearer so they could properly talk about this, but then again, even sober, he wouldn’t have been any better off. 

Niall sighed, gathering his thoughts before speaking. “I dunno, really. I was so excited about the band being put together and stuff, and I guess some of that excitement transferred to you if that makes sense? And then you came home with me, and I didn’t know how to feel because you were always in my space. _Christ_ , Bobby was relentless about it, and to this day, I still wonder how he even knew.” He shrugged, still looking at the ceiling. 

In an Irish accent, Harry said, “that Bobby Horan,” eliciting a breathy chuckle from Niall.

Harry hadn’t expected it to have been so long ago, but he found himself feeling sad. Of course, Harry had thought of it, the idea of him and Niall doing things that weren’t strictly bro-like, but Niall’s always been sort of off-limits as a bandmate and best mate, red tape all around him in his subconscious.

“Never fancied a bloke before or after, though.” Harry hummed in response before falling silent. The quiet that followed was more comfortable, a natural pause. 

Harry sort of liked that, the fact that he was the only one. It made him feel special, but with the knowledge came ambivalence. Why did Niall have to tell him now that it was too late, and he was once again something Harry shouldn’t be thinking of at three in the morning with his hands down his pants but does anyway? 

Don’t go getting a big head about this. Well, a bigger head.” Niall said suddenly, jokingly.

“ _Hey_! How rude.” Niall just giggled a tad drunkenly, and the contagious sound rang through the room as Harry inched closer. “Niall?” Harry said softly.

“Hm?” He turned to look at Harry, still smiling, little tufts of his hair falling across his forehead. Leaning in, Harry had a moment to see Niall’s eyes widen slightly at the sudden proximity just before their lips met. 

There was a tentative air about the whole thing as they felt it out until Niall opened his mouth, allowing the kiss to deepen. Though it wasn’t a heated, insistent thing, Harry decided it was his favorite. Instead, the kiss was like a long-held breath exhaled, a sense of _finally_ to it, all of it gently washing over the two for them to pick apart and marvel at their own pace. 

They shifted onto their sides, breaking for air before resuming. Harry brought a hand to Niall’s waist, fingers just under the hem of his shirt, and feeling the skin there, while Niall twisted a firm grip through his hair. Whines and sighs came from the two of them, and Harry tried his best to commit every detail to memory. Time went syrupy, warm, and slow as it flowed on. Gradually, they came down and eased off before their eventual stop, their lips making a soft wet whisper of a noise. They were still so close that Harry was going a little cross-eyed trying to look at Niall, who still had his eyes closed.

“I was wrong about that crush.” Instantly, panic flooded Harry’s senses, and he found himself so much more unsure, the confidence of just seconds ago gone just like that.

“H-how so?” He croaked, feeling suddenly cold. Niall’s eyes opened, so incredibly blue and _fond_ , taking up his field of vision, and suddenly Harry couldn’t seem to suck in enough air.

“I don’t think it ever went away.”

**Author's Note:**

> *This isn't a song fic, but the title comes from the song I was listening to at the time of creation.*
> 
> https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8inJtTG_DuU
> 
> Bloom  
> -The Paper Kites


End file.
